Store battle is gaining momentum

Momentum is gathering in a protest against a new supermarket in Ramsbottom.

Momentum is gathering in a protest against a new supermarket in Ramsbottom.

Campaigners say a new 40,000 sq foot supermarket would be bad for the town and have already delivered 4,000 leaflets to homes and businesses urging them to sign petitions against the plans.

Earlier this year the Free Press reported how Sainsbury’s were in initial talks with Bury Council to take over the former Holcombe Mill site at Peel Bridge (pictured) creating the fourth supermarket in the area. A planning application still has not been submitted.

The leaflets have been produced by the Ramsbottom Business Group. Gregg Fletcher from the group said a another supermarket on top of the existing Tesco and Morrisons was the wrong choice for the area.

He said: “The council should buy the land and turn it into a multi-storey car park or a leisure facility, we don’t want another supermarket. I think the majority of people in Ramsbottom are against it and we hope the council and Sainsbury’s will take that into account.”

He added that the area already lacked parking spaces and although the application would include customer parking he believed it would only add to the problem. The protest is supported by ward councillor Ian Bevan who said it was important for people to be aware of the plans before they were submitted. He added: “People really don’t want it and it’s important for them to make that clear.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said the firm was interested in bringing a foodstore to Ramsbottom, but a planning application was still some way off.

He added: “Any application would follow a full consultation with the local community.”

The mill, a landmark in the area since 1857, closed in December 2008 and has stood empty ever since. It was a major local employer and under the ownership of Austrian company Mondi, produced more than 100,000 tonnes of recycled paper and cardboard a year.

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